The digital age has been invading professional environments and bringing innovations to careers and companies. But the disruptions don't stop there. They have also reached homes, bringing the concept of a smart home.

The transformation is so important that it has revolutionized the way of life in homes, making environments more technological and teaching residents automated ways to perform everyday tasks.

Discover, in this post, some of these developments that have been consolidating the notion of smart home in the market. Stay tuned for tips on renovating your home or choosing your next residence. Enjoy your reading!

What is a smart home?

There is no theoretical expression to define this new concept in the real estate market, but it can be said that the basis of a smart home is technology.

To have a better visualization of what a smart home, just imagine the following facilities: controlling the light intensity of a certain room; programming the lighting in the children's room to turn off at a certain time, activating the hot tub to fill up using your cell phone, opening and closing doors without needing keys.

But none of this is imagination. We are exemplifying solutions provided by companies focused on the automation of environments and also by construction companies that deliver properties prepared for the installation of the necessary equipment.

It is true that, in the past, domestic life was made easier by devices such as refrigerators and washing machines, but the agility and practicality that a connected home offers is something unprecedented and is gaining more and more strength.

If before the presence of computers and wireless devices was already enchanting, what we have now is something incomparable. The benefits of connected state-of-the-art equipment fulltime to the internet and integrated with sophisticated systems offer a new definition of what it means to live well.

What does the Internet of Things have to do with the home of the future?

The secret behind all this innovation — which is not in the future, but already part of the present — lies in the changing presence of computers. If before they were limited to the office, in this new dynamic, they are present in all environments, even if only virtually.

This is one of the results of the Internet of Things applied to domestic life. And the use of devices connected to wireless networks that connect them to programmable intelligence is at the heart of it all.

Thus, the viability of smart homes only occurs because it is possible to rely on integration between devices and systems, which allows us to bring often unusual alternatives into the home for everyday needs.

We have evolved from a universal TV remote control, capable of controlling several different devices, to something much more complex and convergent. We can now close the curtains, dim the lights and start cooking food by pressing an icon on the smartphone.

With the Internet of Things, we have replaced user manuals and various buttons on devices with simple application interfaces that we install on our devices. tablet, on your cell phone or on smartwatch.

And we know that this is just the beginning. Home electronics are increasingly functional, practical and self-sufficient, capable of learning the patterns of information processed in a home.

Soon, we will be surprised by artificial intelligence suggesting that we buy products that are out of stock in the pantry or asking for permission to change the shower temperature because the season has changed. Let's wait and see!

What does it take to set up a smart home?

The first step to bringing the Internet of Things into your home is connectivity. Once you have a connection to the virtual world, you need to install solutions that integrate devices with computer systems to control them.

We are talking about data networks, cabling and computerized centers to offer and control residential services. As you can see, a smart home involves not only technology, but also engineers, architects and builders.

Examples include not only the routing of cables through all rooms and the preparation to receive sensors that capture light, sound and temperature, but also the sophistication of security systems.

With residential intelligence, residents can count on profound improvements not only in security, but in the interactivity between people and equipment and also in water and energy savings. energy.

Contrary to popular belief, the idea is to need little infrastructure to provide the technological gains that the products in the line “do it yourself” and “plug and play” make available. Basically, we are talking about preparing for a stable internet connection.

Realizing this trend, construction companies have been designing functional buildings that are prepared to receive the necessary facilities to make the dream of the automated environment.

What are the trends for optimizing spaces?

Doing more with less never goes out of fashion and is a maxim that is perfectly applicable to the residential environment: the less space needed to optimize rooms and simplify everyday life, the better!

And it is precisely by combining furniture and appliances with technology that the smart home can combine comfort, accessibility and security with the best possible use of space.

Find out now what the premises and trends of this residential model are!

Wireless solutions

Using wireless devices helps to create a more pleasant and space-saving environment. In smart home projects, wireless solutions allow the use of several devices simultaneously, without weighing down the visual aspect and without having to break down walls.

Smart bulbs

Changing color and intensity allows you to diversify environments, creating scenarios based on lighting. Automated lights can be turned on or off remotely or in a programmed manner, both inside the home — providing comfort — and in outdoor areas — promoting greater security.

Virtual assistants

These are solutions that can be activated by voice command or by touching a cell phone to help with household tasks, such as turning appliances on and off. Those that have machine learning capabilities even suggest actions based on user behavior, such as usual arrival or departure times.

Security systems

In this regard, residential intelligence stands out because it connects monitoring cameras with alarm systems, presence sensors, biometric access control and opening or locking of doors and windows.

Semi-autonomous appliances

These devices accept on-site or remote programming to perform their functions automatically. With them, waking up and having coffee ready or a cake baked is now a reality.

Is it worth investing in home automation?

To find out whether it is worth investing in transforming an environment to automate it or in acquisition of a property prepared for this, just consider some benefits: practicality, comfort, convenience, functionality, safety, quality of life, interactivity, economy, intuitiveness and property appreciation.

Not bad, right? And the best part is that there are no limits to room optimization. All of them can receive technological interventions to offer more of the features we just listed.

This flexibility makes the home adaptable to the needs of each family and even to the individual desires of each resident, with greater simplicity and well-being. In addition, advances in research into the development of systems and devices for domestic purposes have made automation projects more accessible.

To get an idea of the strength of this trend, the Gartner predicts that by 2020, almost 21 billion devices will be connected. And since no one can escape the future, thinking about a smart home is something that will become part of the lives of more and more people.

You can find more reasons to invest in home automation in the post WI-FI home automation: 5 reasons why you should have it in your home. Take the opportunity to better understand the function of Wi-Fi in the domestic context!